Proving that the power of hometown heroics should never be underestimated, Casey Stoner not only put on a great show for his fellow countrymen but once again proved to be dominant at the Australian GP. The starting grid at Phillip Island was the last time Stoner would be seen by competitors, as he converted pole-position to victory with a gap of nearly nine seconds. But was this really a fair fight?
With the championship already decided and little left to prove, we wondered if Jorge Lorenzo would merely cruise through the remainder of the season uninspired, leaving the risk to those who were still applying for a job for next season. In reality, the new champ didn’t just sit back. Lorenzo rode rode well in Australia, claiming a lonely second place position almost ten seconds ahead of his teammate Valentino Rossi, who closed out the podium in style.
Nicky Hayden surely thought he had sewn up the final podium position when he made the move for third stick late in the race, but he did not count on the Rossi Factor, and his future teammate returned the favor on the last lap taking third by a very slim .038-second margin. If the rumors are true, we may even see the Doctor aboard a red bike before the end of the season, as it seems Ducati just can’t wait for this whole “perfect Italian thing” to happen. Ben Spies rounded out the top five, marking the eighth time this season the young American has finished fifth or better, which secured him the Rookie of the Year title for 2010.
Click the jump for the top ten, and don’t forget to check out the final two rounds, as the best things usually happen when we least expect it!
[Source: MotoGP.com | Image: AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill]
| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 25 | 27 | Casey STONER | AUS | Ducati Team | Ducati | 175.1 | 41’09.128 |
2 | 20 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | SPA | Fiat Yamaha Team | Yamaha | 174.5 | +8.598 |
3 | 16 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | Fiat Yamaha Team | Yamaha | 173.8 | +17.997 |
4 | 13 | 69 | Nicky HAYDEN | USA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 173.8 | +18.035 |
5 | 11 | 11 | Ben SPIES | USA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 173.5 | +22.211 |
6 | 10 | 58 | Marco SIMONCELLI | ITA | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 173.3 | +25.017 |
7 | 9 | 5 | Colin EDWARDS | USA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 172.6 | +35.168 |
8 | 8 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARO | SPA | Pramac Racing Team | Ducati | 171.9 | +46.194 |
9 | 7 | 33 | Marco MELANDRI | ITA | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 171.9 | +46.294 |
10 | 6 | 14 | Randy DE PUNIET | FRA | LCR Honda MotoGP | Honda | 171.0 | +59.635 |